Angela Bassett recalls her rigorous training for ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’

Bassett broke down her daily training routine in preparation for her 1993 Oscar-nominated role as Tina Turner.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Tina Turner biopic, “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Angela Bassett, who played the lead character in the film, recently looked back at the preparation she undertook for the role.

Bassett, who received her first Academy Award nomination for the film, told Variety that the training for the role was arduous, even before filming began. After weeks of rehearsing for her scene tests and receiving assistance from actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Bassett partook in a 30-day training regimen after being awarded the role.

During the month before the first day of principal photography, Bassett trained for 16 hours a day to get in shape. She reminisced about her daily regimen, including working on Turner’s dance moves with the film’s choreographer, Michael Peters.

“You got up at five in the morning, went to the gym to work out for two and a half hours,” Bassett said. “Then you would head to Michael Peters and learn routines — which were all intense cardio — for about 10 hours.” Turner, who was on hand to help Bassett in her training and research, advised her to practice the choreography without shoes on; advice that Bassett appreciated, as she called Peters “a beast” of a choreographer.

“Fear was real and physical pain and torture was just going to be a part of it,” Bassett continued. “Every part of your body hurt, and there was no time to eat anything.” In terms of her diet, Bassett said her trainer had her eating “broccoli, string beans, Yukon potatoes, and bland chicken breast,” with lots of water and black coffee.

After Bassett mastered the dance moves and got her body in shape, she moved on to learning Turner’s voice and mannerisms. She stated one of her main focuses was homing in on Turner’s laugh. “That was something that I recognized in her and grabbed on to,” Bassett said. “That ready, easy smile.”

Bassett said she felt significant responsibility to get the role and film done right to honor Turner’s legacy. “Her story was just tearing down so many walls and breaking so many barriers,” Bassett said. “We didn’t know to what extent it would, but we knew the story of this brilliant Black woman was important to tell.”

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